Georgia Tech faculty are angry and concerned that students are not required but are “strongly encouraged” to wear masks on campus.
What We Know:
- George Tech issued its “Tech Moving Forward” plans for reopening campus with in-class instruction in the fall and, according to the plan, the school is not requiring students to wear masks but its “strongly encouraged”.
- As a response, over 750 faculty signed a letter to the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents saying their decision on not enforcing students to wear masks on campus is dangerous and not based on science.
- “We are alarmed to see the Board of Regents and the University System of Georgia mandating procedures that do not follow science-based evidence, increase the health risks to faculty, students, and staff, and interfere with nimble decision-making necessary to prepare and respond to Covid-19 infection risk,” the letter said.
- Seth Murder, a professor of chemistry, materials science and engineering at Georgia Tech, said not requiring masks is “irresponsible and puts the Georgia Tech community at significant health risk”.
- But it’s not just Georgia Tech not requiring the use of masks, Georgia is one of the 31 states that have not mandated people wear masks, which is one of the cheapest and simplest ways to prevent the spread of the virus.
- Joshua Weitz of the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech says that with the recent increase of coronavirus cases in Georgia, there’s a strong possibility that in a class of 50 students, at least one will be infected. The absence of masks requirements increases the risk of the virus spreading. “The risk should not be a surprise to anyone in leadership,” Weitz said. “We have limited time to change course.”
According to the Athens Banner-Herald, a University System of Georgia spokesperson said that they are following guidelines and “strongly encourage everyone to wear a cloth face-covering in areas of campus where social distancing cannot be practiced”.
